Mary Flannery O'Connor's believed that contemporary society was drastically changing for the worse. O'Connor's obvious displeasure with society at the time has often been attributed to her Catholic religion, her studies in the social science field, and the fact that the celebrated lifestyles of the elite southern whites were "Gone with the Wind." Evidence of society's "demise" is woven into the story, and presented through an interesting generation gap of her stories. Therefore, grace and …showed first 75 words of 456 total…

…showed last 75 words of 456 total…child of God, which is the ultimate act of grace in the story. Being Christ-like is the ultimate grace according to O’Connor because she has her Catholic beliefs, that state you have to grow in the image and likeness of God and that is exactly what the grandmother represents. The Misfit on the other hand represents O’Connor’s belief in the deterioration of society, therefore he kills and is the misrepresented society ideal.